1. 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for picking up oil from water and from the surface of water, preferably of the type which is adapted to be installed in a water craft and comprises at least one oblong collecting means passing over rolls or rollers, the collecting means having been fitted obliquely downwards and forwards in relation to the water craft travel direction, means having been arranged at the upper end of the collecting means for removing the oil collected by it and for directing the oil into a tank in the craft.
2. Description of the Prior Art It is previously known to use rotatable mats extending obliquely to the water for collecting and removing oil which is on the surface of water. There are known mats which are provided with transverse strips of wood or similar means for picking up oil, as well as with threads or other similar oil-absorbing means attached to the uninterrupted mat surface (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,555). It has been shown that, especially when the oil is deeper in the water, the efficiency of these known devices is very low. Even at very low speeds of the craft, even at one knot, the mat easily directs the water, and along with it also the oil, to the sides so that the quantity of oil obtained in the mat remains rather small. From, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 226,662 it is also known to use plastic belts having a circular cross section and running in parallel, but it is evident that the oil-collecting capacity of such belts is very low.